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Marathon effort for bowel cancer supporter from Yeovil

A FUNDRAISER from Yeovil is taking on the ultimate challenge by running the Virgin Money London Marathon in April in memory of his father.

James Miller, 41, from Watercombe Heights, is raising money for the charity Beating Bowel Cancer.

James, a UK Sales Manager for Zwick Testing Machines Ltd, is running in memory of his father, Mike Miller, who passed away from bowel cancer eleven years ago.

Mike, who was a well-known teacher of over 20 years at Bucklers Mead secondary school in Yeovil, ran the London Marathon in 1982 when he was 42, completing it in a time of 3 hours 52 minutes.

James promised his dad at the time that when he turned 40, he too would take part in the marathon with the aim of beating his dad’s time.

When Mike passed away James was determined to fulfil his promise and on April 13th he’ll be taking on this huge challenge.

James said: “Running the London Marathon was something I promised my Dad I would do. Well now I’ve turned 40 it’s time to take part and I couldn’t think of a worthier cause to support than the charity Beating Bowel Cancer.

“Dad did run it in a quick time, so I have my work cut out if I want to finish in under four hours! I still have Dad’s medal from his marathon, so I can’t wait to cross the finish line and receive my own.

“I’m honoured to be running in support of the charity Beating Bowel Cancer and I hope to raise £2,000 to go towards their vital work. The charity runs a helpline for patients and their families, giving people crucial information and support.”

Danielle Chamberlain, events fundraising manager for Beating Bowel Cancer, said: “We were incredibly touched by James’ family experience of bowel cancer which shows the importance of charity’s like ours which support bowel cancer patients and their families.

"Only through the generous support of fundraisers like James can we continue to help more patients. We’re wishing James the best of luck for the marathon and we’ll be cheering him on from the side-lines.”

Each year more than 40,000 are diagnosed with bowel cancer, but if caught early, more than 90% of cases can be treated successfully.

Beating Bowel Cancer advises people to go to the GP if they have any of the following symptoms for three weeks or more:
• A change in bowel habit
• Bleeding from the bottom or blood in your bowel motions
• Pain in your abdomen
• Lump in your abdomen
• Unexplained weight loss
• Unexplained tiredness, dizziness or breathlessness